Return of the Fallen Volume 8 Chapter 96
Kazuki mentioned Danny’s new move. The one he had used when facing off against Fera. It was capable of trapping energies within and every time Fera collided with the cage of lightning containing the 3rd sword form, it would tear apart whatever energy she used against it.
Danny looked down at his saber before shaking his head.
“Don’t get me wrong Kazuki what your requesting isn’t my Storm Tempest strike. It is like a cage that traps energy inside and destroys whatever touches it. You want it turned outward. We would be inside the cage protected while the Miasma on the outside is destroyed if it tries to enter. This is your suggestion correct?”
“I know it sounds difficult but surely you’ve thought of a way to use it like that.”
Danny nodded.
“Indeed or rather there was no need to think of a way to block energy from the outside as the sphere of lightning would already do so.”
Kazuki had a blank expression.
“It would already block attacks from the outside??”
Danny swung his blade and electricity gathered around it. The very next moment a small bolt of lightning leaped from his blade and circled him as if it was orbiting a planet.
“There is no deep meaning. Whether I make a cage out of it or not, lightning is still lightning. If it were flat and stretched in the air, it would not matter whether I touched the front side of it or the back, it would still contain a dangerous power. A toad is struck by lightning, does it think thank the gods I was struck on the opposite side. No, it no longer has any thoughts because as I said lightning is lightning and that toad is long dead. Using the Storm Tempest to make a cage to protect us from the Miasma, that is something both possible and impossible at this moment.”
Kazuki wanted to ask what that meant but the very next moment the bolt of lightning orbiting Danny started to dissipate before finally fading away with a small spark in the air.
“The problem as I stated after fighting Fera still remains. To create that much lightning, I do not have enough power in my core to do so. Remember the only way I created the first cage of lightning was by taking over the lightning Fera had brought about. Taking control of all of that lightning is completely different from creating it all on my own. Not enough energy in my core, not by a long shot and since you used up so much of the magic when you helped Asuna and the others enter the 5th stage, there’s not enough in our surroundings nor enough time even if there was.”
Danny had thought this through already and the limitation remained the same. Not enough energy.
At this time, Asuna and the others began to awaken. Kazuki’s ki had helped heal them greatly and they had recovered enough to just barely gain consciousness.
“Kazuki, where are…?”
Asuna opened her eyes and was filled with dread the moment she witnessed the purplish-black misty substance flowing and slowly rising up from down below. The moment she saw it, she almost let loose a scream but she was able to just hold herself back.
Kazuki held onto her and she squeezed him back as if she were a bear.
“This is…We didn’t make it out.”
Asuna was filled with a sad bitterness. If she didn’t escape, it meant that those people in the palace, all of them had died for nothing.
“The people.”
Kazuki already had a lot on his mind but hearing this reminder from the one he cared about…it hurt to some extent.
Kimi and Sam gathered close by Danny and Kazuki, they too shared a sad look as if they had already accepted their fates.
“Kazuki, are we really trapped in here? Is there no way for us to escape?”
Even Kimi’s tone had lost all semblance of an edge when she spoke. Kazuki though was nowhere close to giving up. The problem though was energy. Danny needed enough to recreate his lightning cage. He had taken control of the lightning from Fera and Fera had used power equivalent to someone between the 6th and 7th stages. Everyone here was at the 5th stage. If there was no Miasma whatsoever in the surroundings, and Kazuki used his aura to pull in all the energy within 3000 miles, it would still not equate to a being between those two stages.
Kazuki’s silence made Kimi’s heart sink.
“So there’s no way out?”
Kimi wasn’t ready to die. She desperately gathered energy in her arm and was about to fire it at the Miasam but Sam grabbed her hand.
“Kimi, have faith in Kazuki.”
Kimi didn’t know what to say or do and then even Asuna held her hand.
“Kimi, Kazuki hasn’t said anything but both he and Danny have gotten out of crazy situations. Remember all the times he saved us. All of those were desperate and seemingly impossible to survive but he did it. Kazuki even fell into the Abyssal Trench and made it back and even brought Danny back as well. I believe in him, I believe in both of them. Can you……try and believe in them too?”
Kimi was pale and she was sweating profusely. She seemed to be on the verge of a panic attack but listening to Asuna and Sam, what they said was true. She had faced death many times and each time she was involved with Kazuki, under the worst circumstances, Kazuki had pulled through. If he was here, maybe, just maybe he could pull something else off.
Kimi sheepishly asked once more.
“Kazuki, is it true? Can we get out of here…alive?”
To this question, Kazuki immediately shook his head no.
“I’m sorry Kimi, this is where we die!”
Kimi’s eyes widened in shock and she started to shake. Asuna as well was surprised but as she looked at Kazuki, Kazuki hid a smile but he could only hold back for a second before he burst out with laughter.
“Hehahaha!”
Kimi’s fear turned to anger in a split second.
“Are you messing with me? Kazuki you damn bastard. I’ll kill you!”
Kimi appeared in front of Kazuki and was about to attack him when Kazuki grabbed both of her hands.
“Sorry sorry I couldn’t help it. This is for all the times you’ve name-called. It gets tiring you know.”
Kazuki laughed but Sam didn’t find this funny at all. The moment Kazuki stopped Kimi from attacking him a large fist appeared n front of Kazuki and smashed into his face. Sam had punched Kazuki as hard as he possibly could but this punch did absolutely nothing to Kazuki. The opposite actually. Sam pulled his hand away and it was clear a few bones in his fist were broken and his hand was already swelling. The expression on Sam’s face didn’t change but it was clear he was in pain and very angry.
“Kazuki, that was not cool at all. I get you and Kimi don’t have the best relationship but to terrify her like that, even if you are stronger than me, I’ll kick your ass.”
It was rare for Sam to be so angry. Kazuki only now realized that his joke had crossed the line. He had done it because he couldn’t resist but when things came to this point he was in the wrong. Kazuki let Kimi go and shook his head.
“I did go too far, I’ll admit it but for both of you to attack me like this…Forget it, I was in the wring, sorry.”
For a split second, Kazuki couldn’t help but feel resentment deep down. The only reason why he was trapped in this cage of Miasma was that they were too weak. He couldn’t move at his fastest speed because he was worried about them dying from the force of it. If he didn’t have to drag them along, he would have made it out of the Miasma completely fine.
This feeling, whether reasonable or not, Kazuki quickly let it go. The only reason he could let it go so quickly was that he had a plan to get out. He was already feeling the danger lessening around him and that was another reason why he acted a bit immaturely with his ill-timed and bad joke.
If he didn’t already feel comfortable and safe he would have never had dropped his guard so low and gotten so at ease. Sam’s little punch to his face was a wake-up call he needed. For a moment he had forgotten the danger and that was the worst thing to do for that is the time when danger is the most terrible and the consequences can be life and death.
Kazuki circulated his ki and collected himself.
“Sorry about before but yes there is a way for us to escape.”
Kazuki turned to Danny.
“Danny you’re going to use your Storm Tempest and get us all out of here alive and intact. As for the power source, have you already forgotten about this?”
Kazuki’s ring flashed and the floating palace appeared in the air.
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